The University of Kansas' School of Professional Studies - Online Master of Arts in Organizational Communication

The University of Kansas’s School of Professional Studies offers an online Master of Arts in Organizational Communication that is designed for professionals who want to step into more advanced roles in team management and leading organizational change. The curriculum for this program is widely applicable to careers in business, media and communications, human resources and employee development, engineering, and other areas. The University of Kansas uses Canvas as its learning management system, which delivers course content and enables peer-to-peer collaborations and discussions, as well as mentorship opportunities between students and program faculty.

The MA in Organizational Communication consists of 30 credit hours that are divided between 15 credits of core coursework and 15 credits of electives. Students begin their course of study by taking four core classes: Organizational Communication Strategies, Exploring Communication Theory, Interview-Based Research in Organizations, and either Writing and Speaking for Decision Makers or Interpersonal and Persuasive Communication Skills for Managers. These four courses give students a strong foundation in fostering strong organizational culture through communication, identifying organizational needs through qualitative research and interviews, leading and persuading individuals and groups, and understanding how communication processes impact human emotions and behavior at the individual, group, and community levels.

After completing the aforementioned four core courses, students delve into their elective coursework, which includes classes like Intercultural Communication in Organizations, Communicating Across Workplace Generations, Communication and Team Development, Conflict Dynamics in Organizations, Communication Ethics for Managers and Leaders, Communication Practices for Inclusive Organizations, Employee Onboarding and Role Development, Organizational Change and Communication, and Special Topics in Organizational Communication. Students also have the option of pursuing an Independent Study in Organizational Communication, wherein they investigate a topic of interest in the field under the guidance of a faculty member.

The culminating experience and fifth core course for this program is the Capstone Project in Organizational Communication, which gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the course content they have learned in the program. For the capstone project, students can work individually or in groups to research an organizational communication challenge and develop a project that addresses this challenge. They must receive faculty approval for their capstone project topic, and throughout their work on their capstone, students benefit from faculty support and supervision. Students can also opt to take a comprehensive examination in lieu of completing a capstone project; for this option, students must also complete an additional elective for course credit (while the capstone project counts for course credit, the comprehensive exam does not).

The University of Kansas is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).